Regional airports seeing less airline traffic

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - While many Americans will take to the skies to return home, many of them won't go through smaller regional airports.

That's because many of those airports are still feeling the effects of the pandemic.

Throughout the U.S., several airlines have stopped flying to smaller locations like Lincoln, Nebraska, or Clarksburg, West Virginia.

The Regional Airline Association said smaller airports lost about 34% of flight traffic in 2022 compared to 2019.

For passengers, this means higher fares, scheduling complications, more layovers, and longer drives to larger airports.

Garrett Behanna is a Digital Producer for CBS Pittsburgh who has been with the KDKA team since May 2022.